ID please.

[mps@lampe-law.com]

Found this in my yard. Not sure what subspecies of utahensis this is. Thanks.

[Agavemonger]

Looks to me like Agave utahensis variety nevadensis. However, the spines look rather flat in cross-section for that variety. Nevadensis spines are usually round and quite thin. If really small, it could be eborispina, but a blue plant when maturing(outside) generally points towards nevadensis. Eborispina is normally green outside when growing larger. Sometimes, eborispina plants that are growing fast in a greenhouse are blue when smaller. Larger eborispina plants normally have very long, twisty terminal spines.

How large is this plant?

The Monger

[Spination]

Those long terminal spines are usually indicative of Eborispina.

Beautiful plant, by the way. I'd like to "find" plant like that in my yard.

[Spination]

I would defer to Monger. His knowledge definitely surpasses mine.

Here's my Nevadensis

2014 08 01 A utahensis Nevadensis b.jpg (116.53 KiB) Viewed 1035 times

And a couple of my Eborispina. These can be variable - One in foreground with twisty terminal spines, and ones in the back with long straight ones.

2015 03 17 A utahensis Eborispina c.jpg (112.46 KiB) Viewed 1035 times

[Spination]

Monger, have you experienced a difference in offsetting behavior between Nevadensis and Eborispina? I get offsets on the latter, but not one in 5 years time so far on the former.

[Agavemonger]

Nevadensis is normally far more prolific, at least in habitat. It is also substantially smaller in habitat. Nevadensis, in habitat, is normally heavily clustered with mostly heads smaller than 6", although they can occasionally get a little larger. Terminal spines are straight, black when new aging to a thatch coloration, and about two inches. They are round, and thin, a lot like an average sewing needle in size and shape.

Eborispina terminal spines are thatch colored, up to 6" in length or occasionally even more, and wavy; they are mostly flat in cross section. The plants are much larger, occasionally approaching almost 2 feet in diameter. Eborispina scapes are generally well over 6' in height and much thicker than Nevadensis stalks, which generally max out at around 4-6 feet in height. Eborispina are meager offsetters, if at all.

Greenhouse situations are quite different, however. The plants will offset more and stay blue longer.

Spiny, all your plants singled out above look like eborispina to me. In reality, the O.P. plant looks a lot like eborispina also.

See photos in the gallery on both species.

In habitat, these plants do not intermix; populations of each are quite distinct.

The Monger

[Gee.S]

Screams nevadensis to me. The very closely related eborispina has different color and terminal spines.

[mps@lampe-law.com]

This plant is actually pretty big, I've had it for a few years. About the size of your hand stretched out, with your wrist being in the ground, and the ends of the spines being your nails. And regarding offsetting, It has given me two offsets per year for the last few years. I have a few if anyone wants to trade.

[Gee.S]

A. utahensis var. nevadensis 100%.

You'll find lots of habitat shots of nevadensis and eborispina here: Habitat: Mojave National Preserve

[mps@lampe-law.com]

Gee S: Wow. Incredible photos. Amazing scenery. I wonder exactly where that was. Anyway, it makes sense that my plant is identical to the Nevadensis you photographed because I believe my plant came from Cactus Joes, outside of Vegas. However, it was a few years ago, and I lost the tag, if it had one. Thanks, my question has been answered. Now back to my search for eborispina...

[Agavemonger]

Yeah, I agree: if the plant is that big, and that blue, it is most likely nevadensis.

The Monger

[Steph115]

Something I've noticed that is well-demonstrated in Spiny's photos is the difference between species at the junction of the spine with the leaf. Eborispina tends to have a chevron-type junction whereas nevadensis is more of a flat/straight across. I also notice on many eborispina that the white spine is carried onto the front, lateral aspects of the leaf and nevadensis tends to lack this.

I'm not sure how valid this is, and maybe it represents intraspecies rather than interspecies variation. However I do think it's a fairly discrete difference among plants. This hypothesis would indicate that the first post looks more like eborispina to me than nevadensis. However I'm certainly more of a novice than all posters on this thread, and have never seen these guys in habitat. Either way, it is a beautiful plant!

[SC FM]

Looks very nevadensis to me. The eborispina I have has longer terminal spines. I grew nevadaensis in Ky and they did not have terribly long spines and the plants was greener than the eborispina I grow here. Just my observation and recollection.